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Cer Te Hits Pay Dirt Again With Chubby “Vietnamese” Sandwich

It might have sold out on Tuesday, but I finally got my chance to try out the “Chubby Chinese Girl” February Midtown Lunch special sandwich from Cer Te (on 55th btw. 5+6th), submitted by the Chubby Chinese Girl herself. Duck and hoisin sauce. I don’t need to say more, but I will. Marinated duck, chili sauce, hoisin sauce, cilantro, cucumber, and pickled radishes on a baguette for $8.95. Yes, please.

I couldn’t think of a better thing to eat on my first visit to Cer Te than moist, tender duck on a fresh toasted baguette, the sauces adding a little bit of spicy, a little sweet. Yes, this was my first time eating at Cer Te. And no I am not proud of how long it’s taken me to finally eat here. I blame my ridiculous workload combined with the distance from my Grand Central homebase. And my sheer laziness, that had a lot to do with it. (So back off!) Now back to the sandwich…

Since I was meeting a friend there, we sat in the back where I can verify that the sandwich costs the same as the front take-out; I often think that sitting down means paying more. The chili sauce is mild enough for a weakling like me to take, so if you’re a lover of all things spicy, I recommend asking for extra if possible. The duck itself was perfect, not gamey or tough. The vegetables added the right amount of crunch giving the sandwich the banh mi twist Cindy must have been thinking of when she submitted the idea. As for the small coleslaw side, it’s skippable… stick to downing the sandwich. One thing I can’t tell you is how this compares to the duck pastrami sandwich from FreeFoods NYC as I never had it. I’m now officially completely jealous of all the Cer Te regulars.

2 Comments

adamprato

I always assumed Cer Te was one of those fancy places like Le Pan Quotidien (or whatever the name is), Cosi, Europa, etc, but it’s not. Cer Te is lightyears ahead of those places in their food. I don’t think theres a bad thing to have come out of Cer Te.